Ralphie

I've Been Adopted!

Age: 4-5 years

Gender: Male

Update for May 14, 2012: Ralphie is doing wonderfully! He is definitely a dog who loves the indoors much more than the outdoors. I have come to the conclusion that I think he just likes being in a home so much...that why would he want to go outside? But as I mentioned before..he really enjoys his walks. I bet he would be great at hiking with you or long walks along a bike path. He is a taller beagle, so his long legs help him move faster. He is easily influenced by my other beagles.

I have noticed when I go with him on walk..he usually walks by my side and rarely stops to smell the flowers. When my other 2 beagles are along for the walk...and they go find something fun to smell..he will wonder over to see what all the commotion is about and follow them. He still doesn't stop as often (or as long) as my beagles do though.. He doesn't have much interest in the rabbits or squirrels in the neighborhood...

He is still housetrained...no accidents...we still leave him in the house when we need to go out. He has access to the yard through a dog door.. Even though he has fee rein to go outside whenever he needs to...he does most, if not all, of his business on his walks.

His ears are brilliant! I love how long and soft they are..and they are so floppy!

We often see children who live down the street when we go on walks with Ralphie. The children who know him...know that Ralphie is more comfortable when they slowly approach him and let him sniff their hands. Ralphie gets a bit shaken when kids coming running at him and reach out to pet him. He doesn't get mean to the children..but he will run away from them. Ralphie does let children of all ages pet him when they approach him slowly and gently.

So since Ralphie is very good walker...I thought I would try jogging/running with him for short distances..and he does pretty well! I don't think he should be running any marathons..but his walk is almost a slow trot..so he just speeds it up when you speed up.

Ralphie has really taken a liking to car rides as well...he will lay down and enjoy the ride in the back seat. Sometimes when we go out for walks..he goes to stand by the car door in hopes we will go somewhere in the car...

We still love his bark..and we get to hear it sometimes outside...but he rarely if ever barks in the house. He usually barks for 2 reasons. Sometimes (not every time) on a walk..if he doesn't get to meet or say hi to another dog that is passing by..he barks. It's not a mean bark...it's just a "Hey..dood! Come back! Come say hi!" bark. He has barked in the car once or twice..I could swear he was barking at his reflection in the car door window, but more likely he was barking at something along the road.

Ralphie still loves his dog bed..but he does sit on the couch with us as well. He is a very submissive dog...so I think when our beagles are on the couch..he stays off and rests in his dog bed. If they are no where to be found..he is happy to get on the couch with us and enjoy the petting benefits of being on the couch!

Ralphie has taking a liking to deer antlers and dental chew bones..oh..did I tell you? Ralphie has sparkling clean teeth? We just got them cleaned and they look fabulous! He had to have one small back tooth extracted..but the vet said all his other teeth looked very healthy.

Ralphie isn't an overly affectionate beagle..but that doesn't mean he doesn't show his love for you. He loves to receive affection..he just doesn't know how to give it back yet. He did however lick my hand for the first time this past week, which was so nice of him! So no kisses..or jumping...but he will lean into you and look up at you longingly if you pet him. He is such a sweet boy..

Update for March 10, 2012: Well one of the biggest accomplishments that Ralphie can now claim is that he is housetrained. Yeah! He goes on a leash and in the backyard, and has had no accidents since before the last update. That's about a month and a half! He loves to go on walks..and boy does Ralphie walk. He doesn't stop to smell the roses very much like his foster brother and sister want to. And if he does..you can just give the slightest tug and he knows it's time to go. But honestly, you won't have to tug very often. I think our beagles are getting more exercise on their walks since Ralphie came to stay with us..because he is always ready to walk.

Ralphie is a very mellow, gentle beagle mix. At the last adoption day, he was definitely one of the calmest in the crowd. It almost seems like he is just observing everyone and everything. He loves to be in his dog bed..he spends most of his time there..oh except when it's time to walk. Even during human feeding time, he is in his dog bed while his foster brother and sister are in the kitchen or dining room looking for food to fall on the floor. There is nothing he loves more than you sitting next to his dog bed and giving him a good tummy/head rub.

Ralphie doesn't play with toys much but he loves to "collect" toys..if his foster siblings leave toys laying around..he collects them and puts them in his dog bed so he has friends to cuddle with at night. As I mentioned in the last post..no chewing or jumping at all and he is a very good boy when he is left alone with his foster siblings in the house.

Ralphie has been a pleasure to have in our home...I know you will love having him be a part of your home as well.

Update from Jan. 27th, 2012 Ralphie is such a sweet boy with the most soulful eyes. Ralphie has been with us almost 2 weeks now and he is adjusting well to living in a home.

He has long legs and slim build and weighs about 34 lbs. What a cutie!

Ralphie gets along great with his foster brother and sister. He is very respectful of their boundaries and their food. He also respects people with food. Ralphie doesn't get upset if I need to take his bowl of food away and he doesn't bother us when eating at the the table.

He was well behaved on our 2 hour drive from Charlottesville when we first picked him up. He doesn't bark very often..we actually enjoy hearing him bark..because it's such a rarity!

He had some accidents in the beginning but we have gone 5 days and counting with no accidents or marking in the house. That's pretty impressive!

Ralphie doesn't seem to show much interest in dog toys or playing with other dogs. However that may change with the right company. His foster sister and brother are kind of lazy couch potatoes. Ralphie is a good mix between an active dog and a couch potato. He is happy to follow you around the house but will also rest at times and loves to hang out and cuddle on the couch while you pet him.

We hope you can help us make up for the 5 years Ralphie has gone without being loved and petted!

We are still working on crate training. Ralphie doesn't mind being in a crate when the door is open..in fact he often voluntarily goes in there. But he's not a huge fan when you close it up. When we leave the house we do not crate Ralphie. He uses the dog door to go outside and do his business. No chewing..no snooping..no trouble making while we are gone.

He prefers to sleep in a dog bed in the bedroom at night.

Ralphie is still getting used to things around the house...he gets confused with doors sometimes and when they open towards him...he will get behind the door and look toward the crack where the hinges are as the way out. Silly Ralphie.

Ralphie may be able to live in an apartment but will need to be walked often. He doesn't run around the yard and play so he needs his exercise on walks. Ralphie is pretty good on walks. He is not a strong puller or doesn't stay to sniff one area for too long. He enjoys his walks and I would recommend he get a walk every day no matter where his new home is. We go about 2 miles every day, but I am sure he could go further. Since his foster brother and sister aren't very playful, we invited a sheltie neighbor dog over to see how the two would play.

Ralphie was interested in the other dog at first..but soon went back to just exploring the yard. We have met children on our walks around the neighborhood and he is always very gentle with them and lets them pet him.
He is friendly, good with people and other dogs. He was a stray at the Louisa County Animal Shelter so his history is unknown.

So I was able to take some video of Ralphie walking around last night at the hospital…I wanted to share it with you all.
He is still very sedated..but doing great!
You can check out the videos on youtube here..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHL5b96vbgc

Thank you for all your love and support! I was able to visit with Ralphie last night at the hospital and he is doing very well. Nothing negative to report..all his vitals are stabilizing..and he is able to walk around the hospital! We are taking one day at a time..and seeing improvements every day. Thank you again..

We’re sending our thoughts and prayers to Ralphie. He’s the sweetest little boy! My dog Sam and Ralphie are good friends and Sam misses him. His foster mom is very committed to him and concerned about him. We will happily donate to help with his care.

Poor Ralphie Boy! Are you guys taking donations for him? I love his picture on your facebook page and
I got to meet him at an adoption day. My family has been following his BREW page ever since. He’s such a great dog! If I could have adopted him I would have, but I just can’t.

So, I just wanted to know if you are taking donations for him? I’m sure he will have some significant medical expenses and he seems to be the face of BREW as of late.

Elizabeth,
It was a very sudden thing. I am hoping he will be ok…the few days after a surgery are always the hardest and most critical. He is doing well now. Test results haven’t been received yet as to whether or not it’s malignant…but I will let you know when I find out. He is a a strong boy…I know he will get through this. Thank you for thinking of him!

Keep Ralphie in your thoughts! He had emergency surgery last night and it was successful! They removed a mass attached to his intestine. However, now is the critical recovery period…so lots and thoughts and prayers. Thank you!

Elizabeth,
Ralphie is still available and is doing great! I will write up a new entry for him this weekend. He will be at Beaglefest so everyone come say “hi” to Ralphie! If you are interested in adopting with BREW, please fill out the adoption application and they will contact you. Thank you!

Elizabeth,
I don’t know how Ralphie does with cats. He doesn’t pay much attention to the squirrels and rabbits in the backyard…but I don’t know of any cats in the neighborhood that we could visit to see how it goes. Wish I could be of more help.

Still very interested in Ralphie. He sounds like a good match for us. Sorry that we cannot come meet him at beagelfest. Would like to adopt after we get back from our big trip to Florida, which will end 06/17. Will be applying soon.

May 19, 2012

Melissa Robertson

Ralphie is such a handsome boy and is wonderful in person. I love the pics of him and great foster family remarks. Hope they get him a forever family soon. We’re pullin for ya Ralphie!

We so badly wanted Ralphie to become a part of our family. About a month ago, Freckles, a sweet Beagle girl came to visit us as part off our home inspection. We fell in love with her and ended up adopting her on the spot. We had every intention of adopting Ralphie too! After having Freckles for just a couple of days, she got very aggressive with other dogs in our neighborhood. She also started “marking” in the house as well. We have hesitated on getting Ralphie because of her issues. We would like to give him a loving home, but we aren’t sure how to handle the situation. Any suggestions would be helpful. 🙂

Oh I love this beagle boy. He has the sweetest little face and expressive eyes – his picture is adorable. With such a wonderful write up from his foster, I’m sure someone is going to want to grab up this guy and take him home with them.

Hello Shauna and Matt,
I am so sorry to hear about your wonderful beagle. Thank you for giving him a wonderful life. He may be gone, but the memories you had with him will live forever.
I am fostering Ralphie and he is still available. You can contact Laura (laura@brewbeagles.org) and fill out an adoption application and that will start the process! I know you will love Ralphie…he has been such a good dog and he deserves a loving family and a wonderful home.
Kristen

Hi Kristen,
We are so happy to hear that Ralphie is still available! We filled out the application and sent in our fee. I just got an email from Laura today and was able to email back & forth with our BREW representative. We have our phone interview scheduled for tomorrow evening and I can’t wait! We are so excited to meet Ralphie and hope we can bring him home. We have a HUGE amount of love to give this little beagle boy!

Hello,
Is Ralphie still available? We were beagle owners for thirteen years and sadly, our little guy passed away from cancer. We would love to meet Ralphie and feel ready to open our home and our hearts to another beagle. Please contact us.
Thank you 🙂

Hello!
We are very interested in meeting Ralphie! Is he still available? We think he would be a good fit for our family. We were beagle owners for thirteen years and sadly, our little guy passed away. We are ready to open our home and our hearts to another one. Please contact us.

Hi!! I am the proud parent of Dora, a 2+ yo lady beagle that has lived with my wife and me for about 2 years. She told us in confidence that she is dying to have a companion, and so we’re looking for one. Ralphie looks like a great guy and we would love to meet him!!